


Behold A Pale Horse

by TheSleepingKnight



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender, RWBY
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-27
Updated: 2017-01-27
Packaged: 2018-09-20 05:28:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9477602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSleepingKnight/pseuds/TheSleepingKnight
Summary: When the Winter Maiden dies to bring a monster to life, the world of Remnant meets the Avatar that never should have been.





	

  
  
The Winter Maiden was dying.  
  
That was the only way she could what was happening.  
  
The writhing miasma of darkness that had pierced her heart were slowly ripping out everything that made her _her_. She could no longer quite remember her mother's face, nor the sound of her father's voice. Agony didn’t even come close to describing what she was feeling. It was excruciating.  
  
But the fear swamped the pain.

Fear of what was happening to her.

Fear of where she was.  
  
Fear of _her_.  
  
The devil stood over her, smiling a smile of thorns, her hand twirling the shadows that had ripped her chest open.  
  
“Be honored.” She cooed. “You will be a part of something greater. You will be the vessel for something stronger, better than the previous Maidens.” As the devil said this, her hand dipped towards a pool of blood tinged darkness. Tendrils of shadow reached out and touched it. Silver light entered the pool, illuminating it. It radiated power.  
  
The Winter Maiden tried to speak, but couldn’t form words through the overwhelming haze of pain.  
  
“I imagine you are confused.” The devil mused. “I suppose it is proper etiquette to fulfill a woman’s dying wishes.” The smile grew wider. “You were brought here to take place in a...experiment, of sorts. A personal pursuit of mine. You have heard The Tale of Two Brothers, of course. This experiment is an attempt to...improve on their work.”  
  
The pool of light and shadows started swirling, chasing each other endlessly. “Humanity wasn’t bad...for a rough draft. This new existence will be a better version. A stronger version. The Brother of the Dark had the right idea with the Grimm, but they lack...finesse.”  
  
It was bubbling now.

“I will rectify the world with this.”  
  
Something was _moving_ underneath the boiling water.  
  
“So, as I said, be honored. It isn’t every day you witness the creation of a new species.”  
  
The vortex of power _pulsed_.  
  
**_Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom_.**  
  
A heart beat.  
  
This- this was wrong. All wrong. It was insanity.  
  
She managed to croak out one final question.  
  
“ _What **is** it_?”  
  
The devil smiled.  
  
“I suppose you could say it’s my son.”  
  
A hand of flesh reached out of the pool.  
  
The Winter Maiden felt a cold shudder run through her body.  
  
She...didn’t remember who she was anymore.  
  
She closed her eyes as the rest of the _thing_ emerged from the pool.  
  
_Funny,_ she thought. _It kind of looks like...a boy._  
  
The Winter Maiden died as the Son of Salem opened his eyes for the first time.

* * *

  
_Several Years Later…_  
  
Cinder watched, impassively, at the slaughter.  
  
A blast of fire melted a Grimm’s head off. An Ursa foolishly lunged at the Boy who had become something even Cinder knew to be wary of.  
  
It was impaled by a sudden spike of stone, spearing the Ursa through the heart. The Beowolves came, howling in rage.  
  
They were met with a storm of hail, ice raining down on them like bullets.  
  
A Griffon charged from the air, going for the kill.  
  
Even as it hit the space where the Boy had once been, the air had been stripped from its lungs, causing it to crumble and fall.  
  
Now the final part of the test began.  
  
Mercury and Emerald attacked with no warning- and the Boy had no idea they would be joining his training session.  
  
Emerald struck first, wicked hooks slicing straight for his neck. The Boy caught them effortlessly launching into a spinning leap, dragging Emerald as he launched her towards him via propelling the rock she was standing on.  
  
Emerald found a boot had piledrived into her stomach, and the following surge of wind slammed her into a outcropping of rock hard enough to send up clouds of dust.  
  
Now Mercury had closed the distance, and the barrage of kicks began. The Boy stood his ground, blocking, dodging and deflecting the onslaught. Cinder found herself impressed with both of them- her training had certainly paid off.  
  
It seemed as the Boy was about to blast Mercury with fire point blank when he seemingly missed his strike. Only a desperate leap away saved him from a steel tipped foot smashing into his skull. The boy landed a few feet away, planting his feet firmly and launching a salvo of ripped up rocks at both Emerald and Mercury, followed by bursts of air. They cut through the rocks easily enough, and moved to dodge the second strikes-  
  
Only to discover that it wasn’t meant for them.  
  
The rapid winds smashed into the already crushed earth, sending up clouds of dust, blinding the duo. It was rapidly cleared by Mercury, but not fast enough to see the Boy vanish into the ground.  
  
A few seconds passed as Mercury and Emerald desperately looked for their opponent.  
  
He emerged in the space between them, fire roaring out of the split kick he had risen out of the ground with. The attack sent both sprawling. Emerald opened her eyes to see a boulder falling on her. She was soon obstructed from sight. Cinder frowned. She hoped the Boy had remembered to leave her alive- She was necessary to the plan.  
  
Now it was just Mercury alone. To his credit, he charged anyway.  
  
The staccato song of kicks and punches began, accents of fire and wind accompanying it. Cinder already knew how this was going to end. As good as Mercury was…  
  
The Boy was simply better.  
  
He’d been designed that way.  
  
The end came suddenly. Mercury landed with one foot on the ground after a particularly powerful strike and found his leg had been frozen solid. A sweeping kick of flames knocked him off his feet, and the sudden stone that rose from the earth slammed into his chest broke his Aura- and probably a few ribs.  
  
He felt the ground, unconscious.  
  
The Boy had won.  
  
Dr. Watts sniffed.  “I still think that these two are not sufficient trainees for the Boy.” Cinder glared at him.  
  
“You know he’s not ready to face one of us. For that matter, we don’t want him to be that powerful. Not yet. After all, it would be a great shame if he were to get...ambitious.”

“Please. I tutored the Boy myself. For all intents and purposes, he is her son. The thought of betrayal will never enter his little head.” He stated haughtily.

“Be careful, Doctor, that your pride does not keep you from seeing clearly. It has blinded lesser men than you.” Cinder remarked. Dr. Watts glared at her, but then She entered the room.

“Well?” Her voice was just as Cinder remembered from that day, as smooth as silk and sweet as poison. “What do you think? Is my little warrior ready?” She asked as she sat down upon her throne.

“He performed well.” Hazel said. “I believe so.”

“As do I.” Cinder said.

“I instructed him- of course he’s ready.” Watts replied. Tyrian would have undoubtedly added his own two cents, having taught the boy...the unconventional ways of combat,  but he was away on a mission.

“Then I do believe it is time to include him in the plan. He will join Cinder on her mission at Beacon.” Cinder bowed respectfully.  
  
“As you wish.”  
  
The boy entered the room, walking over to Salem with perfect, measured steps, kneeling as he reached the foot of the throne.  
  
“What is thy bidding, my master?” His voice, low and respectful, reverberated throughout the room. Salem smiled wickedly.

“You will go to Beacon. Gain their trust. Learn their weaknesses. Then, when the time is right, kill them, and Ozpin.”

“Thank you, master.” His voice had never risen, never had any hint of emotion. Cinder thought that Watts had done well in teaching him how to lie. “It will be done.”

“You leave in three moon’s time. Get ready.” He bowed deeper and left, his footsteps echoing in the vast halls of the Queen.

Cinder resisted the urge to shiver. Here, to show weakness was to beg for death.

* * *

 

The three days passed as Mercury and Emerald recovered from their disastrous fight. This hadn’t been the first time they had fought the boy- and not just in the physical sense either. Despite Watts being in charge of the boys intellectual training, it was Mercury and Emerald who had helped shaped the once empty shells personality- of course, he never showed that in front of Salem. It was Mercury who had named him- Alizarin Noir.  
  
“Get it?” He had said. “Red and Black? Like a Grimm? It fits.”  
  
“Alizarin Noir…” The Boy had said. “Well, you could have done worse, I suppose.”  
  
“And Rin for short. Sorry, you’re stuck with that now.” Mercury declared.  
  
“Oh, the horror.” The Boy had snarked.  
  
That joviality was still present in Mercury, despite the bandages now wrapped around his midsection.  
  
“He hit harder than I thought he would. And after I lent him my comics, too.” The silver haired assassin grumbled as his wounds were treated.  
  
“You and your stupid comics.” Emerald grouched. “Do you boys think of nothing but those things and fighting?”  
  
“Well, there are other things I think about…” Mercury waggled his eyebrows suggestively. Emerald threw a pillow at him.  
  
“I hate you.” She seethed.  
  
“Really? I’m shocked.” Mercury shot back.  
  
Most of their conversations went this way. Cinder almost smiled at the exchange.  
  
The days crawled until it was _finally_ time to go to Vale. Only Hazel bothered to say goodbye- he was easily the most cordial of their little group. To everyone’s surprise, _Salem_ came to see them off- or more specifically the Boy.  
  
“As strange at this might be coming from me, I wish you four good luck.” Salem said, her voice laced with irony. Mercury, Emerald and Cinder bowed respectfully.  
  
Alizarin’s burning golden eyes stared intensely at the horizon, his back straight and unbowed.  
  
“I’m your son.” He said. “I don’t need luck.”

**Author's Note:**

> Welp. This is a Thing. If people like this Thing, I'll update. If not, It will probably remain here in the void. What this is is essentially a RWBY AU with Avatar elements- such as bending, the 'Avatar State' and interpretations of the Maidens powers. The idea just wouldn't leave me alone, so here it is.


End file.
